Dog-napped
by Akai-0okami
Summary: A boy asks Skulduggery to help him find his missing dog, but the case is not as mundane as it seems.
1. Chapter 1

The knock at the door came just as Skulduggery was about to enter his meditative state. Sighing, despite his lack of breath, he got up from his favoured seat and walked towards the front door, grabbing Valkyrie's coat off the couch on the way.  
"You know, you should really- oh, hello there," Skulduggery examined the young boy on his doorstep, who had a mildly shocked expression on his face.  
"You're not whom I was expecting."  
The boy attempted to regain composure. "Sorry, sir... I am looking for a Mr. Skulduggery Pleasant?"  
"Well, you've found who you're looking for, and it seems so have I," replied Skulduggery, spotting Valkyrie in the distance running back towards the house. The boy briefly glanced over to where he was looking before returning his gaze back to Skulduggery.  
"Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Pleasant, but I need your help. I have a case for you to solve."  
"Solving cases is what I do, what is it?"  
"A lost dog."  
Skulduggery paused. "I'm sorry, I thought I heard you say 'a lost dog'?"  
"Erm, yes-"  
"Is it a magic dog or something?" Valkyrie interrupted while grabbing her coat from Skulduggery, "thanks".  
"No, he can do some tricks though."  
"So... he's just a normal dog?"  
"Yeah, he's a German Shepherd. Is there a problem with that?"  
There was an awkward silence.  
"What's your name?" Skulduggery asked.  
"Riley Connolly."  
"That's a rather mundane name."  
"I suppose it is if you're named Skulduggery Pleasant."  
"So, you're just an ordinary mortal then?" Valkyrie enquired.  
"I'm not sure what you mean-"  
"Great, let's get going then." Skulduggery said.  
"You're really going to help me find Dill?" Riley exclaimed.  
"Of course, but first I need to find my hat. Valkyrie, come inside and help me find it."  
"But it's on your head-" Riley said as Valkyrie closed the door behind her. They headed into the living room.  
"So, you going to tell me why we are helping some normal kid find his lost dog?"  
"Because I've secretly always wanted a dog and seeing this boy so sad is breaking my heart."  
"You don't have a heart, you're a skeleton."  
"Speaking of which, didn't it seem strange that Riley wasn't that bothered about my appearance? I remember when you first saw me, you fainted."  
"Thanks for reminding me. So, you think this isn't some normal case?"  
"Indeed, which means this is exactly the sort of thing we'd investigate."  
When they headed back outside Riley was waiting for them by the Bentley.  
"So Riley, when and where was it you last saw Dill?" Skulduggery asked.  
"It was at an old park just outside Roarhaven. I was taking Dill for his morning walk there about a week ago."  
"I guess that's where we should start our investigation then. Get in the Bentley and I'll drive us there. Oh, this is my partner by the way, Valkyrie Cain." Skulduggery gestured to Valkyrie.  
"Nice to meet you," said Riley as he got in the car.  
"Same to you," replied Valkyrie as she got in the front passenger seat.  
Skulduggery got in the driver's seat and started the car.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, Riley, how is it you came to hear about me and where I lived?" asked Skulduggery as they drove towards the park.

"I overheard some guys talking about you in a pub. Apparently you put one of their mates in jail."

"I do that a lot. Exactly which pub was this?"

"It's in Roarhaven, can't remember the name."

"Roarhaven? That's a pretty rough place for a young man like you. What were you doing there in the first place?"

"I... er... it was a dare...yeah, some friends dared me to go there," Riley fumbled.

"Right," Skulduggery replied.

Skulduggery was thoughtfully quiet for the rest of the journey; while Valkyrie asked Riley questions about his regular life such as his family and friends; what his school was like; his interests and hobbies and so on. By the time they got to the park Valkyrie had come to the conclusion that he was most definitely a regular, non-magic kid.

"Riley, can you tell me exactly what happened here when you last saw Dill?" asked Skulduggery as they got out of the car.

"Sure. I was walking past the park with Dill when something shoved me from behind. When I fell I hit my head pretty hard so I stayed down for a few moments, but Dill immediately chased after whatever pushed me. I didn't see it but I heard it crash into something while running away – the slide I think – and when I managed to get up both Dill and the other thing were gone. I wandered around the area a couple of hours calling for Dill but I never found him nor anything else."

"Can you show me the exact spot where you were pushed? Also, Valkyrie, go and search the park for clues." Valkyrie entered the park while Riley lead Skulduggery down the pavement.

"I didn't pay particular attention to the exact spot but I think it was about here."

Skulduggery looked around the area but didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so he turned back to Riley.

"I can't see anything suspicious here, but there was something about your story that I found intriguing."

Riley frowned, "What was it?"

"You referred to whatever pushed you as a 'thing', not a person, which is what most people would assume. You say you didn't see whatever it was yet you don't seem to think it was person?"

Riley shrugged, "Maybe I just don't assume stuff like most people do. It could've been a person, I guess."

"Hey you two! I found something!" They heard Valkyrie call out. She was crouching down next to the slide.

"What is it?" Skulduggery asked.

"Come see for yourself. It's pretty disgusting whatever it is, so there's no way I'm touching it."

When Riley saw it he backed away quickly, feeling like he was going to throw up.

Valkyrie looked at him, "You said you thought it crashed into the slide, it must have left this behind when it did."

"Yes," said Skulduggery, "The question is what manages to lose a toe so easily?" He picked up the rotting body part and placed it in a small plastic bag before putting it in his pocket.

They continued searching the park but it became apparent there were no more clues to be found.

"Since it seems there is nothing else to find here, I would think it best to continue our investigation in Roarhaven itself. However, Riley, I think you should stay behind and search the area around the park, or maybe go somewhere you used to take Dill frequently? There's always the possibility he's managed to wander back to a place that's familiar to him." Skulduggery said.

"Why can't I go with you two?" asked Riley.

"As I said earlier, Roarhaven is not a nice place. They don't take kindly to strangers, even less so to Valkyrie and I."

Riley frowned at this, but didn't argue.

"We should only be a couple of hours, meet us back here then." said Skulduggery as he and Valkyrie headed into Roarhaven.


End file.
